In given Example, we discussed a few different parameters that might be of interest in exploring the question of whether first-year college students gain weight. In each of the following cases, explain what population(s) the sample(s) should be drawn from and what variable or variables would be measured for each individual in the sample(s).
a. The parameter of interest is p = proportion of the population of first-year college students who weigh more at the end of the year than they did at the beginning of the year.
b. The parameter of interest is μd = the mean (average) weight gain during the first year for the population of college students.
c. The parameter of interest is μ1 - μ2 = how much more weight college students gain, on average, during the year than do their contemporaries of the same age.
Example
The "Freshman 15" Do college students really gain weight during their freshman year? The lore is that they do, and this phenomenon has been called "the freshman 15" because of speculation that students typically gain as much as 15 pounds during the first year of college. How can we turn our curiosity about the freshman 15 into a question about a parameter?